Friday, October 2, 2015

Robert Hurt's Video Report

From U.S. Representative Robert Hurt (R-VA-5):

"Each month, I record a video report that recaps what we've been working on the previous month. Video and text of September's Monthly Video Report are available below. You may view the video by clicking the image or by clicking here.

“Hi, I’m Robert Hurt. Thank you for tuning into our Monthly Video Report for the month of September.

“Today, we are in the James Madison Building at the Library of Congress here in Washington. As you can see we have chosen this place in honor of James Madison and his defining role in the adoption of our U.S. Constitution by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 – 228 years ago this month. We know that Mr. Madison – known as the Father of the Constitution – called Virginia’s Fifth District his home and served as its first representative. We also know that Mr. Madison’s vision and influence was unparalleled in the debating, adoption, and ratification of this document that has served for over two hundred years as our American blueprint for freedom. At a time when our Constitution and its founding principles so often seem to be ignored, it is especially important that we give thanks for those who set their signatures to this document and planted the seeds of liberty that we enjoy today.

“Speaking of the U.S. Constitution, I think most people would agree that Congress has no greater responsibility under Article One of the Constitution than to provide for the defense of our great country. Unfortunately, I believe that the Congress failed to live up to this responsibility in early September when it was unable to stop the President’s implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. After studying the provisions of the agreement and attending numerous classified briefings with Secretary John Kerry and other Administration officials, I concluded that I could not support it, and I voted against it. And while a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives reached the same conclusion and voted against it as well, we watched as the minority in the Senate once again used petty procedural tactics to block Senators from even debating this critically important issue. This misguided agreement has profound implications for both our national security and global stability, and the American people and their representatives in both houses of Congress should have had the opportunity to debate and vote on this issue. And while I believe that the implementation of this agreement makes the Middle East and the world a much more dangerous place, I remain committed to working with my colleagues to do everything within our power to ensure that Iran does not build a nuclear bomb.

“On the domestic front, we in the House of Representatives continued to work with laser focus on promoting policies that will encourage American economic growth and job opportunities for the people of the Fifth District and across this country. Indeed, in September the Financial Services Committee – the committee upon which I serve -- held its final hearing in a three-part series examining the effects of the Dodd-Frank Act five years after its enactment. During our Main Street Tour in August, we met with many Fifth District Virginians who talked to me about the need for common sense in Washington. We met with a number of individuals who told me about the negative effect that the Dodd-Frank Act has had on the ability of community banks and credit unions to provide capital to small businesses, farmers, and our Virginia families. And while this law was touted as Washington’s attempt to protect consumers, in reality it has only left consumers with fewer choices and made it more difficult to access capital. I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee on both sides of the aisle to implement commonsense policies to promote jobs across the Commonwealth and this nation.

“Perhaps the most exciting event in Washington during the month of September came whenPope Francis visited the Capitol and delivered an address to a joint meeting of Congress. It was an honor to represent the people of the Fifth District in witnessing this historic event on the floor of the House of Representatives. I was especially pleased that we were joined at the Capitol by a number of visitors who came to Washington to see the Pope – including three groups of students from the Charlottesville Catholic School in Charlottesville, Sacred Heart School in Danville, and St. John’s School in Warrenton. I appreciated the Pope’s message to the young people of America, and I was so glad that there were young people from the Fifth District who were able to hear his message in person.

“Finally, we were very pleased to learn this month that the Commission on Presidential Debates selected Longwood University to host the only Vice Presidential debate during the upcoming 2016 Presidential election. This is excellent news for Longwood University, for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for the Farmville and Prince Edward County communities, and I was pleased to be able to work with our Virginia Congressional Delegation to advocate for Longwood’s selection. I thank my colleagues for their efforts, and I commend President Reveley and the Longwood board for their leadership and for their efforts.

“In conclusion, I would like to thank each of you who joined us this month during our telephone town halls and remember that if you ever wish to visit our nation's capital – or the Library of Congress – please do not hesitate to contact our office so we may assist you. We are always glad to see folks from home. And if we may ever be of service to you in any other way, please contact one of our district offices or our Washington office.

“We can always be reached at our website at hurt.house.gov-- where you can also sign up for regular legislative updates. And don't forget to join the conversation on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.

“Once again, thank you for tuning in to our September Monthly Video Report.”